Finding a Job in the Virtual Production business

Throughout my years at Chapman University, attending classes for my VR/AR minor, I was often told that the skills I was learning and the path I was taking would be an extremely lucrative one as more and more companies were stitching to the virtual world, building LED walls, creating games in purely virtual environments and that VR technology is spreading at an incredible pace within a growing number of businesses and sectors.

These claims have sparked some concern and curiosity in me as we commonly hear that the job market is currently more saturated than ever before.

An article from LinkedIn Economic Graph states:

“Recent data from August 2023 shows a substantial year-on-year slowdown in hiring, with a significant decline of 28.5%.”

For this article, I have spoken to Meghna Rasawan, a recent graduate from Chapman University who, for the past six months, has been looking for a job in the Virtual production world.

Meghna is a 22-year-old woman who graduated college in May 2023 with a Major in Computer science and a minor in Game Development and VFX.

“I was interested in animation, but after enrolling at chapman, I realized there are so many different layers of animation and problem solving that just sitting behind a computer and just connecting nodes.”

While she first thought of the Animation world to be relatively simple and contained, thanks to her education and experiences, she learned that it was much more than that; there are many different elements within animations and several skills to be learned to immerse yourself in such an industry fully. This aspect very much exceeded her expectations in the industry and brought her to expand her studies in the Virtual production side of animation and problem-solving.

“Collaborations has been a huge aspect of all the projects taken on at Chapman, which is a very fruitful and important aspect in the industry as well because not many schools will teach you how to collaborate with people with different skills and experiences.”

When asked about what her most significant takeaways from college were and what she believes are the most essential skills to develop before entering the industry, Meghna explained the importance of working with others, taking on projects, and developing your passions and skills in various areas.

“I want to solve problems that are comprehensive visually, so Game Dev and VFX was a perfect amalgamation of technical and artistic for me.”

She then explained the importance and relevance of Unreal Engine, the most used and developing 3D software in the industry, recommending those who want to work in this sector to expand their knowledge and obtain an understanding of a very useful and requested tool.

“I think Unreal can be a great tool for people who aren’t familiar with game development or how to make animations because it can bring a lot of creativity for people who are just technical but want to envision how their game looks and feels. It makes it so much more immersive.”

Unreal Engine being used in the set of “Mandalorian” as a live background on an LED wall

Meghna then shared her experience searching for a job as a young adult with a degree. She explains that having a particular interest or niche, while a good thing to have, is actually a problem when looking for work.

“Initially, I was looking for software engineering/analytics-related jobs, which made entertainment and game development a perfect area to develop my skills; however, now I have broadened my horizons to any company… …I started working at chapman on an intersection between Computer sciences, animation, and VFX, which is a very niche aspect of the industry; this makes it hard to find something that really matches what you are passionate about.”

Knowing precisely what you want to do is not necessarily a negative thing; however, it does significantly reduce the number of entry-level positions available to you, therefore making it nearly impossible to find a job.

“The main struggle with finding a job is that they are not expecting you to have a niche. For an entry-level position, they are mainly looking if you have the core knowledge of the programs and if you can work in a team environment, so you have to let go of your nice and work towards finding it again later on”.

Diving deeper into the actual process of finding a job and the struggles that come with it, Meghna gives an insightful take on the current job availability.

“When applying for a job, there are alot of positions I qualify for but just don’t hear back from, which was never the case a few years ago… … even getting your foot in the door is kind of like a lottery system.”

But how does an employer see a candidate? What are they looking for?

Here are the three main points Meghna has revealed based on her experience.

“There is no specific process or rule to follow.”

1. Try your best to workshop your resume and portfolio

   1. Ask help from counselors, school resources, or others to make your resume appear as attractive as possible.

2. They will then examine your attitude and whether you fit into their company’s culture.

   1. It’s very important for employers that you “match their vibe.”

   2. They must assess if you would be a valuable member of their team, capable of working with others and connecting with them.

   3. Determining if your attitude and overall personality fit in with one of their own is a crucial reason for them to hire you or not.

3. They will want you to know the fundamentals.

   1. Do you know how to use the same programs they do?

   2. Do you understand the essential inner workings of such programs?

   3. Can you solve problems they might have?

   4. What is your thought process for solving those issues?

“Overall, It feels like a pretty fair thought process once you get your foot in the door.”

A positive, determined attitude and open mind are the main factors employers seek. Basic knowledge of software and willingness to constantly learn is also an extremely important factor that might land you a job! I asked Meghna to share some advice for those who are still in school, to which she responded to open your mind to learn and keep learning!

“Chapman University provides a lot of resources, but you, yourself, need to take the initiative to take advantage of those opportunities… …learning doesn’t stop even after you graduate, and you have to take the most amount of advantage you can with the resources that are given to you, and if there aren’t any you can find a way if you are committed enough”.